Page 103 - Dark Shades of Istria
P. 103
5.3 Region of Istria: A Brief Historical Overview
in Pula.⁹² Hence, coastal surveillance stations in Istria, which have been
established since May 1992, are now located in cape Savudrija and in
Pula/Brijuni (Siriščević, 2017).⁹³ In addition, the military polygon on cape
Kamenjak is located on the far southern part of the Istrian peninsula and
includes a part of the land, sea and air space in the wide area of the signif-
icant landscape (Ministarstvo obrane Republike Hrvatske, 2016a). Regu-
lar joint exercises of the Croatian and Slovenian armies, as partners and
members of the nat o Pact, have been held here (Ministarstvo obrane
Republike Hrvatske, 2016b). However, it is possible to understand as a
small and symbolic contribution to the (partial) demilitarisation of the
region, the transfer of the widely recognisable ypa holiday complex ‘13.
maj’ to the civil (tourist) sphere and its renaming to Pineta camp (Od-
luka o davanju na raspolaganje i upravljanje vojnog odmarališta ‘13. Maj’
– Fažana Javnom poduzeću ‘Brijuni,’ 1992; Odluka o davanju konačne su-
glasnosti na Prijedlog Ugovora o provedbi razvojnog programa ‘Brijuni
Rivijera’ na lokacijama Pineta, Hidrobaza i Otok Sv. Katarina – Monu-
menti, 2011), as well as a significant reduction in the number of military
facilities and the number of soldiers in the trans-border region. Thus, Is-
tria can be oriented towards tourism, which ordinarily cannot cohabit
with the army.
Demilitarisation is also one of the main programme points of the i ds-
ddi, the main regional political party in Istria (Istarski demokratski sa-
bor, n.d.); every step of the government towards militarisation agitates
Istrian politics – see Grakalić (2018) or Zrinić-Terlević (2018). However,
Croatian Army barracks opened in Pula in November 2019. Regional and
local politicians (including those from i d s-ddi) also attended the cer-
emony. Interestingly, they were the ones who emphasised that the de-
velopment and prosperity in the past (especially in Pula) was primarily
based on the army (Istarska županija, 2019; Ministarstvo obrane Repub-
like Hrvatske, 2019). Notwithstanding, Pula still does not have a defined
image of a former military and port city, and possibilities offered by this
legacy have not been sufficiently exploited (Urošević, 2013, p. 93);⁹⁴ finan-
⁹² One of their main tasks is the protection of cultural assets at sea, on the seabed and un-
derwater, including archaeological sites in the underwater space (Siriščević, 2017).
⁹³ Located in the complex of the circular fortress Tegetthof, which is the building of the
Austro-Hungarian fortification architecture and today the highest-level cultural monu-
ment (Siriščević, 2017).
⁹⁴ More can be found in Iveković Martinis & Sujoldžić (2021).
103
in Pula.⁹² Hence, coastal surveillance stations in Istria, which have been
established since May 1992, are now located in cape Savudrija and in
Pula/Brijuni (Siriščević, 2017).⁹³ In addition, the military polygon on cape
Kamenjak is located on the far southern part of the Istrian peninsula and
includes a part of the land, sea and air space in the wide area of the signif-
icant landscape (Ministarstvo obrane Republike Hrvatske, 2016a). Regu-
lar joint exercises of the Croatian and Slovenian armies, as partners and
members of the nat o Pact, have been held here (Ministarstvo obrane
Republike Hrvatske, 2016b). However, it is possible to understand as a
small and symbolic contribution to the (partial) demilitarisation of the
region, the transfer of the widely recognisable ypa holiday complex ‘13.
maj’ to the civil (tourist) sphere and its renaming to Pineta camp (Od-
luka o davanju na raspolaganje i upravljanje vojnog odmarališta ‘13. Maj’
– Fažana Javnom poduzeću ‘Brijuni,’ 1992; Odluka o davanju konačne su-
glasnosti na Prijedlog Ugovora o provedbi razvojnog programa ‘Brijuni
Rivijera’ na lokacijama Pineta, Hidrobaza i Otok Sv. Katarina – Monu-
menti, 2011), as well as a significant reduction in the number of military
facilities and the number of soldiers in the trans-border region. Thus, Is-
tria can be oriented towards tourism, which ordinarily cannot cohabit
with the army.
Demilitarisation is also one of the main programme points of the i ds-
ddi, the main regional political party in Istria (Istarski demokratski sa-
bor, n.d.); every step of the government towards militarisation agitates
Istrian politics – see Grakalić (2018) or Zrinić-Terlević (2018). However,
Croatian Army barracks opened in Pula in November 2019. Regional and
local politicians (including those from i d s-ddi) also attended the cer-
emony. Interestingly, they were the ones who emphasised that the de-
velopment and prosperity in the past (especially in Pula) was primarily
based on the army (Istarska županija, 2019; Ministarstvo obrane Repub-
like Hrvatske, 2019). Notwithstanding, Pula still does not have a defined
image of a former military and port city, and possibilities offered by this
legacy have not been sufficiently exploited (Urošević, 2013, p. 93);⁹⁴ finan-
⁹² One of their main tasks is the protection of cultural assets at sea, on the seabed and un-
derwater, including archaeological sites in the underwater space (Siriščević, 2017).
⁹³ Located in the complex of the circular fortress Tegetthof, which is the building of the
Austro-Hungarian fortification architecture and today the highest-level cultural monu-
ment (Siriščević, 2017).
⁹⁴ More can be found in Iveković Martinis & Sujoldžić (2021).
103
